Metabolic diseases of the brain will be investigated using brain cultures of dissociated cells, and fibroblast cultures. Particular attention will be directed to an investigation of Batten's disease (late infantile amaurotic idiocy) and to Huntington's Chorea. In the former disease investigations will center about the metabolism of essential fatty acids (18:2, 18:3), while in the latter the studies will investigate the cause of a reduced replicative life span of fibroblasts from patients. The potentialities of this observation as a means for diagnosis of carriers of the Huntington's gene will be looked into.